directions

Bring 4 cups of water to a boil in a small saucepan over high heat. Removed from heat, add in diced peppers and let steep for 5 minutes. Strain peppers through fine mesh strainer.

Add in vinegar, sugar, mustard seeds, salt, and celery seeds into now empty saucepan. Bring to a boil over medium-high heat, stirring to dissolve sugar..

Add peppers and simmer, stirring occasionally, until little liquid remains, 15-20 minutes. Transfer relish to a jar, let cool slightly, then cover and place in refrigerator until completely chilled. Store in refrigerator for up to 2 weeks.

sautéed shishito peppers: summer's best new bite

preparation

Here's what you do. Heat a little olive oil in a wide sauté pan until it is good and hot but not smoking. Add the peppers and cook them over medium, tossing and turning them frequently until they blister. They shouldn't char except in places. Don't rush. It takes 10 to 15 minutes to cook a panful of peppers. When they're done, toss them with sea salt and add a squeeze of fresh lemon. Slide the peppers into a bowl and serve them hot. You pick them up by the stem end and eat the whole thing, minus the stem, that is.

You can probably do fancier, cheffy things with them, but they're terrific like this. For variety, I sometimes use a little toasted sesame oil instead of olive oil and finish them with togarashi. If you have leftovers, an unlikely event in my experience, chop off the stems and put the peppers in an omelet or some scrambled eggs.

roasted pepper sauce

Sarah L. Voisin/The Washington Post

SEP 4, 2013

At Woodberry Kitchen in Baltimore, chef-owner Spike Gjerde and his preservation team make this sauce using padron, espelette or fish peppers, but the recipe also works well with widely available fresh poblanos. If you don't want it spicy try it with shishitos or sweet peppers.

The sauce can be used to dress roasted vegetables and grilled meats, or in tacos.

Make Ahead: The garlic needs to be confited for 1 1/2 hours. The sauce can be refrigerated in an airtight container for up to 4 weeks or frozen for up to 8 months.

Warm 1 cup of the oil in a small saucepan over low heat. Add the garlic and slow-cook until they are golden and soft, about 1 1/2 hours. Transfer the cloves to the lined plate to drain. Discard the cooking oil.

Meanwhile, heat a large saute pan over medium-low heat. Add 1 tablespoon of the oil and the onions; toss to coat. Cook for about 50 minutes, stirring occasionally, until the onions are soft and caramelized.

Position an oven rack 4 to 6 inches from the broiling element; preheat to broil. Have a small baking dish at hand.

Toss together the padrons and the remaining tablespoon of oil in the baking dish until the peppers are well coated. Broil until they are well blistered, about 12 minutes.

Combine the confited garlic, caramelized onions and roasted padrons in a food processor, along with the vinegar, salt and pepper. Pulse to form a smooth puree, then use a spatula to push the puree through a fine-mesh strainer into a storage container. Discard the solids left in the strainer.

Taste and adjust the seasonings as needed. Serve right away or cool, cover and refrigerate or freeze.

Jimmy Nardello Roasted Pepper Salad

Jimmy Nardello peppers are a wonderful balance of sweet and savory. They are simple to roast or grill.

ingredients

1/2 lb. Jimmy Nardello Roasted Peppers

3 ears of corn with kernels removed

3 T white balsamic vinegar

3 T olive oil

1/2 t salt

1/4 t black pepper

2 T chopped fresh basil

instructions

Remove the stems and seeds. Preheat the broiler. Put the peppers, skins up, in an oiled, shallow baking pan. If you wish you can lightly oil the peppers as well. Broil them 2 inches from the heat until softened. You do not need to remove the skins after roasting. Cut the peppers lengthwise into 1/4 inch strips. Add the uncooked corn kernels. To complete the salad, toss together the remaining ingredients and let stand, covered, 1 hour for flavors to develop.

1/2 small fresh jalapeño, cored but not seeded, cut crosswise into slices about 1/4 inch thick

1/3 cup plus 2 Tbs. homemade or low-salt chicken broth

1/4 cup loosely packed chopped fresh cilantro

Trim the tops and tails from the carrots and peel them; you should have about 8 oz. trimmed carrots. Cut them in half crosswise and then cut the thicker end in half lengthwise to get pieces of about the same width, no more than 3/4 inch (the length can vary). In a small bowl, combine the lime juice, lime zest, and brown sugar; set aside. Heat 1 Tbs. of the olive oil and 2 teaspoons of the butter in a 10-inch straight-sided sauté pan over medium-high heat. When the milk solids in the butter are just beginning to turn a nutty brown, add the carrots and 1/4 tsp. salt. Toss well with tongs and then arrange the carrots in one layer. Cook without stirring until the bottoms are nicely browned, 3 to 4 min. Toss and turn over, and cook for another 2 min. to lightly brown another side. Transfer the carrots to a plate with tongs

Heat the remaining 1 Tbs. olive oil in the pan. Add the bell pepper, red onion, and a pinch of salt and sauté until browned, 3 to 5 min. Add the ginger and jalapeño, toss, and sauté for another 1 min. Return the carrots to the pan, stir, and pour in the chicken broth. Immediately cover the pan and simmer until the liquid is almost completely reduced, about 2 min.

Uncover the pan, remove it from the heat, and add the lime juice mixture, the remaining 1 tsp. butter, and the cilantro. Toss to combine well, scraping any browned bits from the bottom of the pan with a heatproof spatula or a wooden spoon. Serve right away as individual servings or pour and scrape the contents of the pan onto a small platter and serve family style.

Romesco Sauce

Try this Spanish sauce, made with roasted red peppers and almonds, on cooked veggies, salads or sandwiches.

Servings: 1 1/2 cups

1 large roasted red bell pepper from a jar

1 garlic clove, smashed

1/2 cup slivered almonds, toasted

1/4 cup tomato purée

2 tablespoons chopped flat-leaf parsley

2 tablespoons Sherry vinegar

1 teaspoon smoked paprika

1/2 teaspoon cayenne pepper

1/2 cup extra-virgin olive oil

Fine sea salt and freshly ground black pepper

Preparation

Pulse first 8 ingredients in a food processor until very finely chopped. With motor running, slowly add oil; process until smooth. Season with salt and pepper. DO AHEAD: Romesco can be made 1 week ahead. Cover and chill.

Remove the shiitakes from their soaking liquid, and cut them into bite-sized strips, removing any hard stem ends. Reserve the soaking liquid.

Cut the fresh mushrooms into 1/4″ slices (or, if they’re small, in halves). Dice the onion into 1/4″ squares, and the red or green peppers into 1/2″ squares.

In a large, heavy saucepan, heat the olive oil and/or butter. Add the onion, and cook over medium heat several minutes, until the onion is translucent. Add the white mushrooms and bell peppers; sauté until the mushrooms release their liquid and that liquid cooks off. When the vegetables start to brown. (Optional: add the shiitake mushrooms.) Sauté for a couple of minutes more, then add the sauce (and the mushroom soaking liquid, if you soaked dried mushrooms).

Lower heat, and simmer slowly for 30-45 minutes, until the sauce has thickened and reduced. The peppers will have turned a very dark color. Don’t worry, you will find them delicious! Serve over rice or noodles. If you’re not vegetarian, this makes a wonderful side dish to serve with beef.